Ho Chi Minh, actual name Nguyen That Thanh, born in a small village in central Vietnamese province Nghe Tinh in 1890. Nguyen’s father was a Confucian scholar who had served as an official in the Vietnamese imperial bureaucracy but resigned due to his protest against the French occupation of his country. Nguyen exhibited a fiery patriotic spirit clearly inherited from his father. Nguyen took part in peasant tax protests in 1908 and later joined a ship as a cook’s helper and went to Europe, specifically Paris and London. After the end of World War One, Ho settled in Paris and immediately became involved in socialist political groups. Nguyen changed his name and went by Nguyen Ai Quoc, meaning Nguyen the Patriot, he gained spontaneous renown within the local Vietnamese community. In the group he served as co-author of a petition to the Allied leaders gathered at Versailles demanding self-determination for all people under colonial rule. The petition was ignored and in retaliation, Nguyen joined the French Communist Party at its founding congress in 1920. Nguyen quickly gained respect for his diligence and talent as a revolutionary organizer. In 1923 Nguyen was invited to Moscow to work at the headquarters of Communist International (Comintern). At the end of the following year, Nguyen was instructed to form a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary organization in French Indochina. Nguyen formed the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League in 1925 as a base for a future communist party. The party had formed views that emphasized the twin demands of national independence and social justice. However, in 1928, Moscow shifted to a new policy that placed greater emphasis on class struggle and proletarian leadership in the revolution. This ideological shift split the league in half forming rival factions. Nguyen was forced to flee south China for the USSR in the aftermath of Chiang Kai-shek’s crackdown communist elements in Canton. In 1930, Nguyen arrived in Hong Kong from Thailand where had been organizing and building up the Vietnamese community and brought together the community to form a single Vietnamese Communist Party. After a second meeting in October later that year, the name was changed to the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) to show the Comintern view that small countries could liberate themselves. In 1931 Nguyen was arrested by the British in Hong Kong and two year later was released. He fled to Moscow where he spent most of the decade in anonymity. In 1938 Nguyen was granted permission to return to China. In 1940 he regained contact with the leaders of ICP inside Vietnam. In 1941 at the direction of Nguyen, the ICP announced the formation of a broad nationalist alliance called the League for the Independence of Vietnam, otherwise known as Viet Minh.
Summary
Ho Chi Minh was born in Vietnam in 1890. Ho’s father, Nguyen Sinh Huy, had a reputation for his high intelligence but he was very reluctant to learn French which resulted in the loss of his job. From this he was forced to travel throughout Vietnam, offering his services to those who would pay. Nguyen was a nationalist and taught his children to resist the French. All of his children grew up to be nationalists like their father, fighting for Vietnamese independence. Nguyen sent Ho to a French school to help prepare him for the inevitable struggle against the French. After finishing his studies, Ho was a schoolteacher. He left his job and became a sailor. He worked as a cook on-board a ship travelling the world.
His travels gave him insight to the thoughts of many people who were also suffering from exploitation like the Vietnamese. Ho settled in Paris in 1917 where he read books by Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. From these books Ho converted to communism and later in 1920 when the French Communist Party was formed Ho became one of its founding members. Ho was inspired by the Russian Revolution and in 1924 was invited to visit the Soviet Union. While in Moscow, Ho wrote that it was the duty of all communists to return to their own country to “make contact with the masses to awaken, organise, unite and train them, and lead them to fight for freedom and independence.” Ho was in danger after writing this to a friend as the French would arrest him if he returned back to Vietnam. He was forced to live in China on the Vietnam border. While in China Ho helped to form the other exiled nationalists into the ‘Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League’.
In September 1940, The Japanese army invaded Indochina, including Vietnam. Ho saw this as an opportunity to free their country from the French as they were occupied with the war in Europe and would not send the force required to fight back. Ho and fellow nationalists formed an organisation called Viet Minh. Viet Minh began a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese. The Viet Minh was backed by the Soviet Union and after the bombing of Pearl Harbour they received support from the United States. After the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the Viet Minh were able to take over the country. In September 1945, Ho Chi Minh announced the formation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam but Ho Chi Minh didn’t know that the Allies had already decided what to do with post-war Vietnam at the Potsdam conference. It was agreed by the allies that Vietnam would be divided into two, the Northern half controlled by the Chinese and the Southern part controlled by the British.
After World War II, France attempted to re-establish control in Vietnam and in January 1946, Britain agreed to remove its troops. Later that year China left Northern Vietnam in exchange for a promise from France that they would give up their rights to territory in China. France didn’t recognise the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and soon after this fighting broke out between the Viet Minh and French troops. At first Viet Minh struggled to combat the better trained and armed French soldiers but in 1949 the situation improved when Mao Zedong and his communist army defeated Chang Kai-Shek in China. The Viet Minh now had a secure place to take their wounded to and train more soldiers. By 1953 the Viet Minh were in control of a majority of North Vietnam. However, the French still had a strong hold on the South. France eventually saw that they were a part of a long drawn out war and offered to negotiate with Viet Minh. Viet Minh denied the French and didn’t trust their word and continued to fight. Back in France, the public opinion was against continuing the war due to multiple reasons; between 1946 and 1952 90,000 French soldiers had been killed, injured or captured, France was still building its economy after the second world war and the cost of the war was more expensive than what they received from the United States under the Marshall Plan, the war in Vietnam had lasted 7 years and there was no sign of victory for the French and finally a large majority of French people believed that thy did not have any justification for being in Vietnam. The French commander in Vietnam, General Navarre, realised time was running out and he needed to obtain victory over the Viet Minh really quickly. Navarre was convinced that if he could persuade General Vo Nguyen Giap into engaging in a large scale battle, France would win.
In December 1953, Navarre organised and setup a defensive complex at Dien Bien Phu, which would block the route for the Viet Minh forces returning to camps in Laos. Navarre’s plan worked and General Giap took up the French challenge. Instead of making a massive frontal assault, Giap chose to surround Dien Bien Phu and ordered his min to dig a large trench surrounding the French troops. From this outer trench, more were dug inwards towards the centre. Viet Minh forces were able to move in close to the French troops in Dien Bien Phu. During these preparations, Giap brought members of Viet Minh from all over Vietnam and by the time the battle was ready to start, Giap had 70,000 soldiers surrounding the French in Dien Bien Phu. This was 5 times more than the French troops within. Giap had recently received anti-aircraft guns and howitzers from China and was able to severely restrict the French’s ability to supply their forces within Dien Bien Phu. Navarre realised he was trapped and appealed for help from the United States. Some advisers from the United States recommended the use of tactical nuclear weapons against the Viet Minh. Another suggestion was using conventional air raids would scatter Giap’s troops. The current United States president, Dwight Eisenhower, refused to intervene unless he could persuade Britain and his other western allies to also participate. However, Winston Churchill, the British prime minister, declined claiming that he was waiting for the outcome of the peace negotiations taking place in Geneva before he was becoming involved.
On March 1954, General Giap launched his offensive and for 56 days the Viet Minh pushed the French forces back until the occupied a minute part of Dien Bien Phu. The artillery commander, Colonel Piroth, blamed himself for the tactics that had been used and told his fellow officers that he had been “completely dishonoured” and committed suicide by pulling the safety pin from a hand grenade. The French finally surrendered on May 7th, with French casualties totalling over 7,000 and a further 11,000 soldiers were prisoners. The next day, the French government announced it intended to withdraw from Vietnam.
In the following month, foreign ministers from the United States, Soviet Union, Britain and France meet in Geneva to see if they could bring about a peaceful solution to the conflicts in Vietnam. After much negotiating the ministers agreed that (1) Vietnam would be divided at the 17th parallel (2) North Vietnam would be ruled by Ho Chi Minh (3) South Vietnam would be ruled by Ngo Dinh Diem, who was a strong opposition to communism (4) French troops would withdraw from Vietnam (5) the Viet Minh would withdraw from South Vietnam (6) the Vietnamese could freely choose to live in the north or the south and (7) a general election for the whole country would be held before July 1956. After the Viet Minh’s victory at Dien Bien Phu, some of the members were reluctant to accept the terms of cease-fire, however, Ho Chi Minh argued that this was only to be temporary and believed that in the promise of general election, the Vietnamese were sure to elect a communist government to re unite Vietnam. This thought was shared by President Dwight Eisenhower as he later wrote: “I have never talked or corresponded with a person knowledgeable in Indochinese affairs who did not agree that had elections been held at the time of the fighting, possibly 80 percent of the population would have for the communist Ho Chi Minh.”
Back in 1954 during the Geneva conference, the United States delegation proposed the name of Ngo Dinh Diem as the new ruler of South Vietnam. The French argued against this decision, claiming that Diem was “not only incapable but mad”. Eventually it was decided that Diem presented the best suited in keeping South Vietnam from falling under communist control. It later became clear that Diem had no intention of holding elections for a united Vietnam and his political opponents began to consider alternative ways of obtaining their objectives. Some came to the conclusion that the only way to change Diems mind was to accept the terms of the 1954 Geneva conference. The following year elections were cancelled and caused a large increase of people leaving their homes to form armed groups in the forests of Vietnam. They were not in a position to take on the South Vietnamese army and targeted ‘soft targets’ which included the death of 1,200 of Diem’s government officials. Initially Ho Chi Minh was against this strategy and argued that the opposition forces in South Vietnam should organise support rather than execute acts of terrorism against Diem’s government.
In 1959 a trusted advisor of Minh was sent to visit South Vietnam. The advisor returned to inform Minh that Diem’s policy of imprisoning the opposition leaders was so successful that the idea of a united Vietnam would never be achieved without encouraging armed resistance. Ho Chi Minh finally agreed to supply the guerrilla units with aid, he also encouraged different groups to join together and form a more powerful resistance. These groups agreed and joined to form the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF) otherwise known as Viet Cong by the western world. The NLF was made up of over a dozen different political and religious groups and although the leader, Hua Tho, was a non-Marxist, large amounts of the group were supporters of communism. The tactics and strategies used were based off of Mao Zedong’s movement in China. This was later known as Guerrilla Warfare. There were small groups of soldiers known as cells, and these cells worked together but the information about each other cell was very little so when a cell was captured and or tortured, their confessions did minutes amount of damage to the NLF. The initial goal of the NLF was to gain support of peasants in rural areas, as the peasants were the supporting factor, without them there would be no NLF. Three months after being elected as the United States president, Lyndon B. Johnson launched Operation Rolling Thunder, with the plan to destroy the North Vietnam economy and force them into cease their support of guerrilla fighters in the south. Bombing raids were also directed against territory controlled by the NLF in the south. The plan was originally to last for eight weeks but that turned into the next three years. In those three years, the United States dropped 1 million bombs on Vietnam. In 1969 the NLF’s role was disbanded by the Provisional Revolutionary Government, which was designed to provide a legal counterpart in Saigon, however, the NLF continued to exist as a nongovernmental national front until the end of the war. In the final years of the war the NLF suffered heavy casualties, and in December 1976, to the dismay of its founding members, it was merged into the Fatherland Front, its counterpart in the North.
Perspectives
The United States president, Dwight Eisenhower, after the attack at Dien Bien Phu, was in agreement with Ho Chi Minh's reluctance towards elections and agreed with Minh's idea to re-elect a Communist government, claiming: “I have never talked or corresponded with a person knowledgeable in Indochinese affairs who did not agree that had elections been held at the time of the fighting, possibly 80 percent of the population would have for the communist Ho Chi Minh.”
Implications
The multiple wars in Vietnam had a large impact on the country as a whole. It was as brutal as any other war, taking over 2 million lives, many of which were civilians. 3 million were wounded and unfortunately hundreds of thousands of children were left orphans. The war turned the north and south on its head. In the South, the U.S forces used roughly 20 million gallons of herbicides, mainly in the north of Saigon and along the borders of Laos and Cambodia to reduce the dense jungle that could possibly conceal the Viet Cong. The herbicides were also used to prevent crops supporting the enemies from growing. In 1969, around 1 million hectares of forest were destroyed. One of the largest and most dangerous pesticides was implemented during the war, ‘Agent Orange’. It has left major ecological and human trauma in Vietnamese people’s lives. There are still many children growing up in Vietnam that are affected by Agent Orange’s affects, having to live with diseases and disabilities from the harmful chemicals from the war. After the fall of Saigon, the communists began to ‘re-educate’ people with programs in South Vietnam. People were caught in these ‘re-education camps’ which forced them to do extremely harsh work. The actions of the communists stirred a lot of anger between the North and South. Many people could not stand the harsh treatment and tried hard to escape South Vietnam and become refugees. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 400,000 refugees died out at sea. The war brought both physical and psychological trauma on many and roughly 700,000 Vietnamese veterans suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.
Source Analysis
Source 1:
This is the Time Magazine cover from April 13th 1998, dedicated to his movement in freeing Vietnam. The article provides an insight to his work as a leader in Vietnam, both as a military and a leader of the people. In the article Minh is shown as the spirit behind Vietnam, the force that wouldn't quit, the reason the people are standing up. Minh was the leader of people and Vietnam and stood up for what he believed, his cause noble but his actions not accurately representing his beliefs and will.
Source 2:
"Here is how these champions of equality put their slogan into practice.
In the same workshop and for the same work, a white workman is several times better paid than his coloured brother.
In administrative offices, despite length of service and recognized ability, a native is paid starvation wages, while a freshly arrived white man receives a higher salary with less work to do." - Ho Chi Minh, July 1st, 1922. This quote from Minh really shows his understanding of the government and the country. Minh saw the corruption in not only the government and the country itself and was longing for the day that he would make the change in Vietnam. The quote itself is quite odd as Minh was Marxist but the quote isn't filled with expected Marxist rhetoric, instead it's about the racism within Vietnam and the inequality that separates the country, the outsiders against the natives.
Source 3:
"Uncle Ho Visiting The Villages" - Nguyen Kang, 1958. This painting by Nguyen Kang provides an insight into the thoughts of the village and lower class people of Vietnam. Even in the title it is shown that Ho is loved and respected by the working people of Vietnam, he stands up for them and everyone else when no one else did. Ho was admired by many and this painting really develops Ho's image.
Source 4: "After World War I, I made my living in Paris, now as a retoucher at a photographer’s, now as painter of “Chinese antiquities” (made in France!). I would distribute leaflets denouncing the crimes committed by the French colonialists in Viet Nam. At that time, I supported the October Revolution only instinctively, not yet grasping all its historic importance. I loved and admired Lenin because he was a great patriot who liberated his compatriots; until then, I had read none of his books. The reason for my joining the French Socialist Party was that these “ladies and gentlemen” - as I called my comrades at that moment - has shown their sympathy towards me, towards the struggle of the oppressed peoples. But I understood neither what was a party, a trade-union, nor what was socialism nor communism." - Ho Chi Minh, April 1960
This quote from Minh reveals his choice in Leninism and in it he explains his choice quite well, in the same theme of his push of liberation for Vietnam. The quote not only shows why Minh chose Leninism and later Communism but also why Vietnam stood behind Minh and his choice of Communism. The people and Minh saw Communism as their chance of being free and during this after war period and post-Russian Revolution period, Communism was gaining motion.
Source 5: " The French have fled, the Japanese have capitulated, Emperor Bao Dai has abdicated. Our people have broken the chains which for nearly a century have fettered them and have won independence for the Fatherland. Our people at the same time have overthrown the monarchic regime that has reigned supreme for dozens of centuries. In its place has been established the present Democratic Republic. For these reasons, we, members of the Provisional Government, representing the whole Vietnamese people, declare that from now on we break off all relations of a colonial character with France; we repeal all the international obligation that France has so far subscribed to on behalf of Vietnam and we abolish all the special rights the French have unlawfully acquired in our Fatherland." - Ho Chi Minh, 'Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam', 2nd September 1945.
This can be recognised as one of the first times Vietnam wanted to be recognised as Vietnam, not anyone else's Vietnam. The powerful declaration was read by Minh, who compared this declaration to the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. Minh compared it to the United States as he believed that in his time that his country would've been past the point where the declaration was needed, the country should've been better but Minh was the one to do it. Minh also compared the declaration to the French, who occupied Vietnam, when also quoting their declaration which contrasted against the situation that the French had the Vietnamese people in.
Source 6: " The revolution has made the French imperialists tremble with fear. On the one hand, they use the feudalists and comprador bourgeoisie to oppress and exploit our people. On the other, they terrorize, arrest, jail, deport and kill a great number of Vietnamese revolutionaries. If the French imperialists think that they can suppress the Vietnamese revolution by means of terror, they are grossly mistaken. For one thing, the Vietnamese revolution is not isolated but enjoys the assistance of the world proletariat in general and that of the French working class in particular. Secondly, it is precisely at the very time when the French imperialists are frenziedly carrying out terrorist acts that the Vietnamese Communists, formerly working separately, have united into a single party, the Indochinese Communist Party, to lead the revolutionary struggle of our entire people." - Ho Chi Minh, Founding of the IndoChinese Communist Party, February 1930
Minh at this point had seen the power of the people and the power of communism and he was ready to use it against the French as they and many other Western nations feared the spread of Communism, especially in countries such as Vietnam. Minh was willing to lead the people against the French and called the people by his side and together they were willing to overthrow the French and return the country to its rightful owners.
Bibliography
Biblio details:
Kutler, Stanley I. Encyclopedia Of The Vietnam War. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1996. Print.
Notes:
Overview of every part of the Vietnam War, Ho Chi Minh and Viet Cong. Solid forms of primary sources.
Biblio details:
Isaacs, Jeremy and Taylor Downing. Cold War. London: Bantam, 1998. Print.
Notes:
Give short but informative overview of Ho Chi Minh’s actions affecting both north and south Vietnam.
Biblio details:
Axelrod, Alan. The Real History Of The Cold War. New York, NY: Sterling, 2009. Print.
Notes:
Reveals American attitude towards Ho Chi Minh’s movements and provides further detail into Ho Chi Minh and Viet Minh actions.
Biblio details:
Source, Primary. "Ho Chi Minh Speeches - Teaching The "American War": Looking At The War In Vietnam Through Vietnamese Eyes - Resources At Primary Source, Inc.". Resources.primarysource.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 8 Aug. 2016.
Notes:
Provides multiple primary sources from Ho Chi Minh.
Biblio details:
"Exeas - Asian Revolutions In The Twentieth Century". Columbia.edu. N.p., 2016. Web. 11 Aug. 2016.
Notes:
This website provides many primary sources relating to Hi Chi Minh or from Ho himself. It is a very well sourced website linking to many other websites that reference their information.
Biblio details:
"Ho Chi Minh Archive". Marxists.org. N.p., 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
Notes:
Multiple primary sources and recorded dates and places of where the speeches were spoke. Very good source for finding full speeches from Minh.
Timelime of The Significant Events of The Cold War
“Cold War? Heck, it was a hot war!” (Robert McNamara, US Secretary of Defence 1961 – 1968)
To what extent do you agree with Robert McNamara’s statement that it was a ‘hot war’?
The Cold War lasted for nearly 4 decades and affected millions if not billions of people all over the world. However, though it was a war, it was not a war of firepower, but more of a war the fear of firepower and politics. The fear of another nation’s supposed power was far more noticeable than that nation’s actual power. The war gets the term ‘cold’ due to no actual fighting but multiple times, the world was on its edge as they watched the ongoing fight for dominance between the U.S and USSR. Every event during the war was a tension filled situation, the construction of the Berlin Wall separated a nation for 3 decades, the Cuban Missile Crisis almost saw the world crumble at the feet of nuclear war and the space race was not just a race between the U.S and USSR, it was a global race to improve our ability to reach space. The Vietnam War and the Korean War were in reality the only large scale fighting that took during the Cold War, but it was not between North and South Korea or Vietnam, it was still a battle between the U.S and USSR. Both nations supported different sides of the war instead of fighting their own fight. This was the ‘hottest’ part of the war, it was large scale fighting with unfortunately many deaths caused by the U.S and USSR.
The war was mainly political, with multiple attempts at easing the war, such as the détente policy that was introduced by Richard Nixon in 1969. The aim to ease tension between the two nations was seen to be successful at first but it ended shortly after when neither nation stuck to the terms of the policy. Though the war was ‘hot’ with action and tension, the war was not majorly fought out in the battlefield, it was fought in the courts of the U.S and USSR. The cold war is name fit for this period, it describes the political battle and contest for global success between two nations using other nations to fight their battle.
Why is the Cold War worth remembering? (Hint: you may like to use the criteria for historical significance that are listed above)
The Cold War was not only a period of significant change but also a period of developments in humanity, though not all were for the best. Many memorable moments during the Cold War has provided insight into the thoughts and views of people during these periods. People all around the world developed an interest into global politics and though this was in a way forced onto the world, it has provided many with a good education into the way the world works democratically.
Ho Chi Minh & The Viet Minh
By Christian Di Giantomasso
Background
Ho Chi Minh, actual name Nguyen That Thanh, born in a small village in central Vietnamese province Nghe Tinh in 1890. Nguyen’s father was a Confucian scholar who had served as an official in the Vietnamese imperial bureaucracy but resigned due to his protest against the French occupation of his country. Nguyen exhibited a fiery patriotic spirit clearly inherited from his father. Nguyen took part in peasant tax protests in 1908 and later joined a ship as a cook’s helper and went to Europe, specifically Paris and London. After the end of World War One, Ho settled in Paris and immediately became involved in socialist political groups. Nguyen changed his name and went by Nguyen Ai Quoc, meaning Nguyen the Patriot, he gained spontaneous renown within the local Vietnamese community. In the group he served as co-author of a petition to the Allied leaders gathered at Versailles demanding self-determination for all people under colonial rule. The petition was ignored and in retaliation, Nguyen joined the French Communist Party at its founding congress in 1920. Nguyen quickly gained respect for his diligence and talent as a revolutionary organizer. In 1923 Nguyen was invited to Moscow to work at the headquarters of Communist International (Comintern). At the end of the following year, Nguyen was instructed to form a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary organization in French Indochina. Nguyen formed the Vietnamese Revolutionary Youth League in 1925 as a base for a future communist party. The party had formed views that emphasized the twin demands of national independence and social justice. However, in 1928, Moscow shifted to a new policy that placed greater emphasis on class struggle and proletarian leadership in the revolution. This ideological shift split the league in half forming rival factions. Nguyen was forced to flee south China for the USSR in the aftermath of Chiang Kai-shek’s crackdown communist elements in Canton. In 1930, Nguyen arrived in Hong Kong from Thailand where had been organizing and building up the Vietnamese community and brought together the community to form a single Vietnamese Communist Party. After a second meeting in October later that year, the name was changed to the Indochinese Communist Party (ICP) to show the Comintern view that small countries could liberate themselves. In 1931 Nguyen was arrested by the British in Hong Kong and two year later was released. He fled to Moscow where he spent most of the decade in anonymity. In 1938 Nguyen was granted permission to return to China. In 1940 he regained contact with the leaders of ICP inside Vietnam. In 1941 at the direction of Nguyen, the ICP announced the formation of a broad nationalist alliance called the League for the Independence of Vietnam, otherwise known as Viet Minh.Summary
Ho Chi Minh was born in Vietnam in 1890. Ho’s father, Nguyen Sinh Huy, had a reputation for his high intelligence but he was very reluctant to learn French which resulted in the loss of his job. From this he was forced to travel throughout Vietnam, offering his services to those who would pay. Nguyen was a nationalist and taught his children to resist the French. All of his children grew up to be nationalists like their father, fighting for Vietnamese independence. Nguyen sent Ho to a French school to help prepare him for the inevitable struggle against the French. After finishing his studies, Ho was a schoolteacher. He left his job and became a sailor. He worked as a cook on-board a ship travelling the world.His travels gave him insight to the thoughts of many people who were also suffering from exploitation like the Vietnamese. Ho settled in Paris in 1917 where he read books by Karl Marx and Vladimir Lenin. From these books Ho converted to communism and later in 1920 when the French Communist Party was formed Ho became one of its founding members. Ho was inspired by the Russian Revolution and in 1924 was invited to visit the Soviet Union. While in Moscow, Ho wrote that it was the duty of all communists to return to their own country to “make contact with the masses to awaken, organise, unite and train them, and lead them to fight for freedom and independence.” Ho was in danger after writing this to a friend as the French would arrest him if he returned back to Vietnam. He was forced to live in China on the Vietnam border. While in China Ho helped to form the other exiled nationalists into the ‘Vietnam Revolutionary Youth League’.
In September 1940, The Japanese army invaded Indochina, including Vietnam. Ho saw this as an opportunity to free their country from the French as they were occupied with the war in Europe and would not send the force required to fight back. Ho and fellow nationalists formed an organisation called Viet Minh. Viet Minh began a guerrilla campaign against the Japanese. The Viet Minh was backed by the Soviet Union and after the bombing of Pearl Harbour they received support from the United States. After the dropping of the nuclear bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, the Viet Minh were able to take over the country. In September 1945, Ho Chi Minh announced the formation of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam but Ho Chi Minh didn’t know that the Allies had already decided what to do with post-war Vietnam at the Potsdam conference. It was agreed by the allies that Vietnam would be divided into two, the Northern half controlled by the Chinese and the Southern part controlled by the British.
After World War II, France attempted to re-establish control in Vietnam and in January 1946, Britain agreed to remove its troops. Later that year China left Northern Vietnam in exchange for a promise from France that they would give up their rights to territory in China. France didn’t recognise the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and soon after this fighting broke out between the Viet Minh and French troops. At first Viet Minh struggled to combat the better trained and armed French soldiers but in 1949 the situation improved when Mao Zedong and his communist army defeated Chang Kai-Shek in China. The Viet Minh now had a secure place to take their wounded to and train more soldiers. By 1953 the Viet Minh were in control of a majority of North Vietnam. However, the French still had a strong hold on the South. France eventually saw that they were a part of a long drawn out war and offered to negotiate with Viet Minh. Viet Minh denied the French and didn’t trust their word and continued to fight. Back in France, the public opinion was against continuing the war due to multiple reasons; between 1946 and 1952 90,000 French soldiers had been killed, injured or captured, France was still building its economy after the second world war and the cost of the war was more expensive than what they received from the United States under the Marshall Plan, the war in Vietnam had lasted 7 years and there was no sign of victory for the French and finally a large majority of French people believed that thy did not have any justification for being in Vietnam. The French commander in Vietnam, General Navarre, realised time was running out and he needed to obtain victory over the Viet Minh really quickly. Navarre was convinced that if he could persuade General Vo Nguyen Giap into engaging in a large scale battle, France would win.
In December 1953, Navarre organised and setup a defensive complex at Dien Bien Phu, which would block the route for the Viet Minh forces returning to camps in Laos. Navarre’s plan worked and General Giap took up the French challenge. Instead of making a massive frontal assault, Giap chose to surround Dien Bien Phu and ordered his min to dig a large trench surrounding the French troops. From this outer trench, more were dug inwards towards the centre. Viet Minh forces were able to move in close to the French troops in Dien Bien Phu. During these preparations, Giap brought members of Viet Minh from all over Vietnam and by the time the battle was ready to start, Giap had 70,000 soldiers surrounding the French in Dien Bien Phu. This was 5 times more than the French troops within. Giap had recently received anti-aircraft guns and howitzers from China and was able to severely restrict the French’s ability to supply their forces within Dien Bien Phu. Navarre realised he was trapped and appealed for help from the United States. Some advisers from the United States recommended the use of tactical nuclear weapons against the Viet Minh. Another suggestion was using conventional air raids would scatter Giap’s troops. The current United States president, Dwight Eisenhower, refused to intervene unless he could persuade Britain and his other western allies to also participate. However, Winston Churchill, the British prime minister, declined claiming that he was waiting for the outcome of the peace negotiations taking place in Geneva before he was becoming involved.
On March 1954, General Giap launched his offensive and for 56 days the Viet Minh pushed the French forces back until the occupied a minute part of Dien Bien Phu. The artillery commander, Colonel Piroth, blamed himself for the tactics that had been used and told his fellow officers that he had been “completely dishonoured” and committed suicide by pulling the safety pin from a hand grenade. The French finally surrendered on May 7th, with French casualties totalling over 7,000 and a further 11,000 soldiers were prisoners. The next day, the French government announced it intended to withdraw from Vietnam.
In the following month, foreign ministers from the United States, Soviet Union, Britain and France meet in Geneva to see if they could bring about a peaceful solution to the conflicts in Vietnam. After much negotiating the ministers agreed that (1) Vietnam would be divided at the 17th parallel (2) North Vietnam would be ruled by Ho Chi Minh (3) South Vietnam would be ruled by Ngo Dinh Diem, who was a strong opposition to communism (4) French troops would withdraw from Vietnam (5) the Viet Minh would withdraw from South Vietnam (6) the Vietnamese could freely choose to live in the north or the south and (7) a general election for the whole country would be held before July 1956. After the Viet Minh’s victory at Dien Bien Phu, some of the members were reluctant to accept the terms of cease-fire, however, Ho Chi Minh argued that this was only to be temporary and believed that in the promise of general election, the Vietnamese were sure to elect a communist government to re unite Vietnam. This thought was shared by President Dwight Eisenhower as he later wrote: “I have never talked or corresponded with a person knowledgeable in Indochinese affairs who did not agree that had elections been held at the time of the fighting, possibly 80 percent of the population would have for the communist Ho Chi Minh.”
Back in 1954 during the Geneva conference, the United States delegation proposed the name of Ngo Dinh Diem as the new ruler of South Vietnam. The French argued against this decision, claiming that Diem was “not only incapable but mad”. Eventually it was decided that Diem presented the best suited in keeping South Vietnam from falling under communist control. It later became clear that Diem had no intention of holding elections for a united Vietnam and his political opponents began to consider alternative ways of obtaining their objectives. Some came to the conclusion that the only way to change Diems mind was to accept the terms of the 1954 Geneva conference. The following year elections were cancelled and caused a large increase of people leaving their homes to form armed groups in the forests of Vietnam. They were not in a position to take on the South Vietnamese army and targeted ‘soft targets’ which included the death of 1,200 of Diem’s government officials. Initially Ho Chi Minh was against this strategy and argued that the opposition forces in South Vietnam should organise support rather than execute acts of terrorism against Diem’s government.
In 1959 a trusted advisor of Minh was sent to visit South Vietnam. The advisor returned to inform Minh that Diem’s policy of imprisoning the opposition leaders was so successful that the idea of a united Vietnam would never be achieved without encouraging armed resistance. Ho Chi Minh finally agreed to supply the guerrilla units with aid, he also encouraged different groups to join together and form a more powerful resistance. These groups agreed and joined to form the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF) otherwise known as Viet Cong by the western world. The NLF was made up of over a dozen different political and religious groups and although the leader, Hua Tho, was a non-Marxist, large amounts of the group were supporters of communism. The tactics and strategies used were based off of Mao Zedong’s movement in China. This was later known as Guerrilla Warfare. There were small groups of soldiers known as cells, and these cells worked together but the information about each other cell was very little so when a cell was captured and or tortured, their confessions did minutes amount of damage to the NLF. The initial goal of the NLF was to gain support of peasants in rural areas, as the peasants were the supporting factor, without them there would be no NLF. Three months after being elected as the United States president, Lyndon B. Johnson launched Operation Rolling Thunder, with the plan to destroy the North Vietnam economy and force them into cease their support of guerrilla fighters in the south. Bombing raids were also directed against territory controlled by the NLF in the south. The plan was originally to last for eight weeks but that turned into the next three years. In those three years, the United States dropped 1 million bombs on Vietnam. In 1969 the NLF’s role was disbanded by the Provisional Revolutionary Government, which was designed to provide a legal counterpart in Saigon, however, the NLF continued to exist as a nongovernmental national front until the end of the war. In the final years of the war the NLF suffered heavy casualties, and in December 1976, to the dismay of its founding members, it was merged into the Fatherland Front, its counterpart in the North.
Perspectives
The United States president, Dwight Eisenhower, after the attack at Dien Bien Phu, was in agreement with Ho Chi Minh's reluctance towards elections and agreed with Minh's idea to re-elect a Communist government, claiming:“I have never talked or corresponded with a person knowledgeable in Indochinese affairs who did not agree that had elections been held at the time of the fighting, possibly 80 percent of the population would have for the communist Ho Chi Minh.”
Implications
The multiple wars in Vietnam had a large impact on the country as a whole. It was as brutal as any other war, taking over 2 million lives, many of which were civilians. 3 million were wounded and unfortunately hundreds of thousands of children were left orphans. The war turned the north and south on its head. In the South, the U.S forces used roughly 20 million gallons of herbicides, mainly in the north of Saigon and along the borders of Laos and Cambodia to reduce the dense jungle that could possibly conceal the Viet Cong. The herbicides were also used to prevent crops supporting the enemies from growing. In 1969, around 1 million hectares of forest were destroyed. One of the largest and most dangerous pesticides was implemented during the war, ‘Agent Orange’. It has left major ecological and human trauma in Vietnamese people’s lives. There are still many children growing up in Vietnam that are affected by Agent Orange’s affects, having to live with diseases and disabilities from the harmful chemicals from the war. After the fall of Saigon, the communists began to ‘re-educate’ people with programs in South Vietnam. People were caught in these ‘re-education camps’ which forced them to do extremely harsh work. The actions of the communists stirred a lot of anger between the North and South. Many people could not stand the harsh treatment and tried hard to escape South Vietnam and become refugees. It is estimated that between 200,000 and 400,000 refugees died out at sea. The war brought both physical and psychological trauma on many and roughly 700,000 Vietnamese veterans suffered post-traumatic stress disorder.
Source Analysis
Source 1:
This is the Time Magazine cover from April 13th 1998, dedicated to his movement in freeing Vietnam. The article provides an insight to his work as a leader in Vietnam, both as a military and a leader of the people. In the article Minh is shown as the spirit behind Vietnam, the force that wouldn't quit, the reason the people are standing up. Minh was the leader of people and Vietnam and stood up for what he believed, his cause noble but his actions not accurately representing his beliefs and will.Source 2:
"Here is how these champions of equality put their slogan into practice.
In the same workshop and for the same work, a white workman is several times better paid than his coloured brother.
In administrative offices, despite length of service and recognized ability, a native is paid starvation wages, while a freshly arrived white man receives a higher salary with less work to do." - Ho Chi Minh, July 1st, 1922.This quote from Minh really shows his understanding of the government and the country. Minh saw the corruption in not only the government and the country itself and was longing for the day that he would make the change in Vietnam. The quote itself is quite odd as Minh was Marxist but the quote isn't filled with expected Marxist rhetoric, instead it's about the racism within Vietnam and the inequality that separates the country, the outsiders against the natives.
Source 3:
"Uncle Ho Visiting The Villages" - Nguyen Kang, 1958. This painting by Nguyen Kang provides an insight into the thoughts of the village and lower class people of Vietnam. Even in the title it is shown that Ho is loved and respected by the working people of Vietnam, he stands up for them and everyone else when no one else did. Ho was admired by many and this painting really develops Ho's image.
Source 4: "After World War I, I made my living in Paris, now as a retoucher at a photographer’s, now as painter of “Chinese antiquities” (made in France!). I would distribute leaflets denouncing the crimes committed by the French colonialists in Viet Nam. At that time, I supported the October Revolution only instinctively, not yet grasping all its historic importance. I loved and admired Lenin because he was a great patriot who liberated his compatriots; until then, I had read none of his books. The reason for my joining the French Socialist Party was that these “ladies and gentlemen” - as I called my comrades at that moment - has shown their sympathy towards me, towards the struggle of the oppressed peoples. But I understood neither what was a party, a trade-union, nor what was socialism nor communism." - Ho Chi Minh, April 1960
This quote from Minh reveals his choice in Leninism and in it he explains his choice quite well, in the same theme of his push of liberation for Vietnam. The quote not only shows why Minh chose Leninism and later Communism but also why Vietnam stood behind Minh and his choice of Communism. The people and Minh saw Communism as their chance of being free and during this after war period and post-Russian Revolution period, Communism was gaining motion.Source 5: " The French have fled, the Japanese have capitulated, Emperor Bao Dai has abdicated. Our people have broken the chains which for nearly a century have fettered them and have won independence for the Fatherland. Our people at the same time have overthrown the monarchic regime that has reigned supreme for dozens of centuries. In its place has been established the present Democratic Republic. For these reasons, we, members of the Provisional Government, representing the whole Vietnamese people, declare that from now on we break off all relations of a colonial character with France; we repeal all the international obligation that France has so far subscribed to on behalf of Vietnam and we abolish all the special rights the French have unlawfully acquired in our Fatherland." - Ho Chi Minh, 'Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam', 2nd September 1945.
This can be recognised as one of the first times Vietnam wanted to be recognised as Vietnam, not anyone else's Vietnam. The powerful declaration was read by Minh, who compared this declaration to the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776. Minh compared it to the United States as he believed that in his time that his country would've been past the point where the declaration was needed, the country should've been better but Minh was the one to do it. Minh also compared the declaration to the French, who occupied Vietnam, when also quoting their declaration which contrasted against the situation that the French had the Vietnamese people in.Source 6: " The revolution has made the French imperialists tremble with fear. On the one hand, they use the feudalists and comprador bourgeoisie to oppress and exploit our people. On the other, they terrorize, arrest, jail, deport and kill a great number of Vietnamese revolutionaries. If the French imperialists think that they can suppress the Vietnamese revolution by means of terror, they are grossly mistaken. For one thing, the Vietnamese revolution is not isolated but enjoys the assistance of the world proletariat in general and that of the French working class in particular. Secondly, it is precisely at the very time when the French imperialists are frenziedly carrying out terrorist acts that the Vietnamese Communists, formerly working separately, have united into a single party, the Indochinese Communist Party, to lead the revolutionary struggle of our entire people." - Ho Chi Minh, Founding of the IndoChinese Communist Party, February 1930
Minh at this point had seen the power of the people and the power of communism and he was ready to use it against the French as they and many other Western nations feared the spread of Communism, especially in countries such as Vietnam. Minh was willing to lead the people against the French and called the people by his side and together they were willing to overthrow the French and return the country to its rightful owners.Bibliography
Timelime of The Significant Events of The Cold War
http://www.timetoast.com/timelines/significant-events-people-of-the-cold-war“Cold War? Heck, it was a hot war!” (Robert McNamara, US Secretary of Defence 1961 – 1968)
To what extent do you agree with Robert McNamara’s statement that it was a ‘hot war’?
The Cold War lasted for nearly 4 decades and affected millions if not billions of people all over the world. However, though it was a war, it was not a war of firepower, but more of a war the fear of firepower and politics. The fear of another nation’s supposed power was far more noticeable than that nation’s actual power. The war gets the term ‘cold’ due to no actual fighting but multiple times, the world was on its edge as they watched the ongoing fight for dominance between the U.S and USSR. Every event during the war was a tension filled situation, the construction of the Berlin Wall separated a nation for 3 decades, the Cuban Missile Crisis almost saw the world crumble at the feet of nuclear war and the space race was not just a race between the U.S and USSR, it was a global race to improve our ability to reach space. The Vietnam War and the Korean War were in reality the only large scale fighting that took during the Cold War, but it was not between North and South Korea or Vietnam, it was still a battle between the U.S and USSR. Both nations supported different sides of the war instead of fighting their own fight. This was the ‘hottest’ part of the war, it was large scale fighting with unfortunately many deaths caused by the U.S and USSR.The war was mainly political, with multiple attempts at easing the war, such as the détente policy that was introduced by Richard Nixon in 1969. The aim to ease tension between the two nations was seen to be successful at first but it ended shortly after when neither nation stuck to the terms of the policy. Though the war was ‘hot’ with action and tension, the war was not majorly fought out in the battlefield, it was fought in the courts of the U.S and USSR. The cold war is name fit for this period, it describes the political battle and contest for global success between two nations using other nations to fight their battle.
Why is the Cold War worth remembering? (Hint: you may like to use the criteria for historical significance that are listed above)
The Cold War was not only a period of significant change but also a period of developments in humanity, though not all were for the best. Many memorable moments during the Cold War has provided insight into the thoughts and views of people during these periods. People all around the world developed an interest into global politics and though this was in a way forced onto the world, it has provided many with a good education into the way the world works democratically.